The Pains of Being Pure at Heart - The Pains of Being Pure at Heart (2009)

Well, a few days after starting my so-called music blog, I've reviewed more movies than I have albums. Dat shit ain't right. So, after doing a little brainstorming with my homies at M:RE, I remembered an interesting album that I had recently acquired which seemed perfect. The Pains of Being Pure at Heart (henceforth "The Pains") are an inconveniently named band that carry on the delightful dream pop tradition of notable bands such as M83, The Jesus and Mary Chain, and of course the incomparable My Bloody Valentine.

The self-titled debut opens with pleasing feedback and quickly shoots into a fast-paced, percussionless opener entitled "Contender". The song features a really neat combination of guitar sounds that My Bloody Valentine used to great effect on tracks like Sometimes: a constant stream of fuzzy distortion laying underneath a strummed acoustic guitar. The acoustic guitar is ultimately drowned out, with the exception of the sound of the pick hitting the strings. Most of the songs on the album use some variation on this theme, but it's a really fun sound so it doesn't become repetitive unless you didn't enjoy it in the first place.

Immediately noticeable upon listening is that the album is consistently fast, and bright, a noticeable departure from most of The Pains' apparent shoegaze influences; The Jesus and Mary Chain and My Bloody Valentine were both rather plodding for the most part, and they had a tendency to be on the sad and wistful side. In this sense The Pains are akin to M83; however, I unfailingly get a headache when listening to M83 for more than a song or two, and I felt no such malady approaching even upon repeated listens of The Pains' album.

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart is a short album, clocking in at just under 35 minutes. The length works well because most of the songs are to the point as well as on the shorter side. I've always had a weakness for albums that hit the spot and then wrap things up before their welcome is worn out. The length also prevents their admittedly unvaried sound from becoming stale. Of course, whoever heard of a shoegaze album with significant variety in sound? A prerequisite to flowing well as a shoegaze album is keeping the thickly distorted guitar and faint, subdued vocals. Any track attempting to mix up the sound significantly would stick out like a sore thumb. Their closest attempt to do so would be A Teenager in Love, which sounds stripped down during the verses; really, it's the same sound with most of the guitars simply removed for a period.

I would go so far as to say there are no weak tracks on the album. But, as I said earlier, they don't stray far from their poppy formula, so the lack of risk-taking could be critiqued. Their sound is really quite derivative and unoriginal, but the strength of the songwriting is more than enough to excuse them sounding a bit too much like their influences. The beginning of Gentle Sons is almost directly ripped from The Jesus and Mary Chain's signature "doom...doom doom, CH" drumbeat. It seems more of an homage than a ripoff, however, and though I almost forget that I'm not listening to that Scottish band from the 80s, it's a positive deception, if anything.

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart's debut album is a concise, lighthearted effort that combines indie pop melodies and tight drumming with textured guitar and whispy vocals. It is ultimately far from innovative, but the weaknesses are easily overlooked for now, and here's to hoping that the band succeeds and manages to come into their own sound. Recommended.

Stream the entire album for free on its Last.fm page here.